Life in the key of E flat minor

I have visited Houston on a few occasions, but I never really explored the place.  The first time I was stuck out in the suburbs of Humble and my returns to the Space City have had me out in the Galleria area for the day or two that I was working.  This time, I was able to drive around and see more of the city and get to be a part of the daily life. The monument at its full height I won’t claim to understand H-town.  Without a guide, I couldn’t find the bustling downtown area.  Yet, I can drive to the Galleria area from the airport blindfolded and I did find the lovely Museum District, around Bissonnet Street.  After a delicious crawfish po’boy lunch at Calliope's Po-Boy , I headed out to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, leaving the 610 loop eastward toward La Porte, Texas. After the twenty mile drive from lunch, I turned off the highway and drove down Independence Parkway, through massive drum-shaped oil containers and the Texas-themed...

I had a conversation with a colleague yesterday about the Trayvon Martin case.  It got very heated and not because we disagree.  It was about the anger that we have about the case. There are two very different points that came out of our conversation: the sense of injustice that George Zimmerman is not police custody and the ever present issue of race in our country. Regardless of the state of innocence of George Zimmerman, he should be charged with a crime and in police custody.  He did shoot Trayvon Martin and that shooting lead to George killing Trayvon.  Therefore there is nothing in the law that would prevent the authorities from detaining Zimmerman.  Habeas corpse wouldn’t apply here, since there IS enough evidence to support that Zimmerman killed Trayvon.  However, there is not enough evidence to me that Zimmerman was “standing his ground,” and I am outraged that he is not in custody. Earlier this week, I tweeted “@irishwombat: thinks #Zimmerman '...

  I love watching the bond between parent and child grow.  It's some pretty strong stuff and it's awesome: a boy looking up to his dad and the man being hopeful in the possibility for his child.   I love the emptiness of this photo.  The beach, the ocean and its waves all run into the sky.  The almost too bright sun and its glare dominate the center of the picture.  But yet off to the left, there are Pete and Aidan - playing and walking into the surf.  I thought the pure love and innocence of it, before all the crazy dynamic of growing up, both of them are together, trusting and relying on each other.  They jaunt off into the sea with the hope and the promise that the overwhelming, expansive, beautiful but unknown world will hold no challenge for them that they can't overcome together.

Pollo en Escabeche en HDR I wanted to try an ethnic food that I haven’t made before, especially so I don’t get into the rut of always making bean or soup dishes in the slow cooker.  I started googling easy slow cook recipes and something caught my eye in the list: Latin America.  I think that this was a sign since I had read a Yahoo! article citing Uruguay as a great location to retire.  I continued searching and landed about this recipe to try, Pollo en Escabeche (Uruguayan Marinated Chicken). The best part of the recipe is that you can prep it at night and cook it while you sleep, then you refrigerate it while at work to maximize your time. Escabeche originated in Mediterranean cuisine as dish of either poached or fried fish that is marinated in an acidic mixture before serving. Also, escabeche can refer to the marinade itself. As it was developed in Spain, the Spanish would also use chicken, rabbit or pork. Due to Spain’s colonial past, this version of escabech...

I spent a lovely weekend before my birthday in San Francisco where my fellow traveler and I went there to celebrate a friend's son's first birthday. Party planning always includes a foray to the beach (Aiden, Brigid and Hilary) We knew that we would be heroes if we could figure out a way to get out to San Francisco for the little one's birthday.  When the save the date came out, about 6 weeks before the party, the airfares were outrageous - $400 round trip.  However I was determined to get there; I missed Brigid's (the mom) visit for Hilary's (the follow traveler) birthday in early February because of a long standing commitment in Killington, VT . So, I wanted to make things right with the world.  I'm an avid fan of Airfarewatchdog . I've signed up for their alerts for many different trips: San Diego, Austin, Boston and always San Francisco. About 10 days before the party, an alert came through for  $248 tickets round-trip to San Francisco for th...

During last weekend’s visit to Houston, I visited the San Jacinto Monument at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site . Located near La Porte, TX, the over 567-foot high column commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. It is the world's tallest monumental column. The monument has an observation deck located immediately below the 220-ton star of Texas which offers northern, western and southern view including vistas of Houston and the USS Texas . The San Jacinto Battlefield was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960.

For this week's Around the World in a Pot, I'm posting a recipe that I'm cooking as I post.  I won't be able to speak about the success of the pot until later tonight, which I will update you on.  This weekend I was in Houston, which means that I can get H.E.B.’s Texas Tasters , Taco Cabana and Texas Barbecue. The first purchase was of Texas Tasters and my last meal was at Taco Cabana. However, the first meal that I ate was at Luling City Market . From their webpag, “[i]f you're looking for REAL Texas Bar-B-Que, you've come to the right place!” Yet, I was disappointed. It did fulfill my need for BBQ, but it didn’t satisfy my craving. The brisket was dried out and the barbecue sauce tasted mustardy – a tomato-based sauce but with a noticeable amount of mustard. It was good food, but not what I wanted nor expected. Over four pounds of brisket left in the slow cooker this morning So I googled “Barbecue in Texas” and I should have known that there are ...

In my family, there’s a running joke that there’s a transportation gene in the clan at large. Most of us who are directly related to the Ryan blood line have some fascination with modes of travel. Some love planes. Some love trains. One of us admits that boats are his passion. Family gatherings with my cousins always end up talking about trips to Shanghai, Rio and Paris as well as to San Francisco, Rochester and Providence. We type e-mails in airport codes, knowing where MSY , EZE and YUL are. We are familiar with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and the Interstate System, and know how to navigate three-digit spurs as well as three-digit US routes. Getting there is definitely half the fun for us. Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, formerly Yuma Crossing State Historic Park, in the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area For me, I am energized by travel. I like taking a new road and being on an old familiar one. I am exci...